Names That Are Variations

Popular Margaret variant in Nordic countries, often spelled Margrét.

The Icelandic form of Oliver, currently ranking in their Top 10.

Writer Jerzy Kosinski put this foreign variation on the U. S. name map.

Popular in Ireland, as is the similarly difficult spelling EOGHAN, but over here, most would stick with Owen.

Given a new shot of style by singer Lauryn Hill, this spelling of the name has fallen quite a bit in popularity since its peak of 167 in 1996.

Shmuel is a Modern Hebrew variation of Samuel used almost exclusively by Orthodox Jewish families. Very popular in Israel, Shmuel also appeared on the US Top 1000 list in 2017, 2022, and 2023 and is given to around 240 boys each year.

Unlikely to catch on the way the male original has, though it may appeal to some parents as a more formal version of Nina.

This form of Charlotte, long obscure, is sure to grow in popularity along with the explosion of Charlotte. It's pretty and feminine and a nice spin on the more familiar version. In Germany, short form Lotta is popular.

Pretty Russian name that has yet to be embraced outside of the region.

Russian name most common in neighboring Estonia.

A sea-themed name from a nation of sea-adventurers.

One of the Hawaiian names being discovered by stylish parents, especially Californians.

This variation of Biblical Benjamin is used in Ethiopia. The name is also spelled Benyam or Binyam.

A variation on Anne-Marie, this sweet name deserves the attention of some Anglophone parents. Note that "Mieke" rhymes with "Peak-a" not "Pike-a".

Hawaiian names have officially made their way to the mainland, with Leilani, Kehlani, Alani, Kailani, and Kaylani all ranking within the Top 300. Now Kahlani — one of several pseudo-Hawaiian names popping up across the country — has entered the US Top 1000 in 2023.

This spelling variation of the name only recently entered the Top 1000 in 2008. The popular Layla is currently very popular in the United States, while the more traditional Leila is also widely used. The added h at the end of this version could be considered superfluous, possibly leading to confusion down the road.

All the sounds of Giovanni without the authentic spelling.

Much less popular than the original spelling of Jocelyn. While it might be tempting to go with this more phonetic spelling, we recommend sticking with the traditional name.

Ilena-style variants have all been considered more stylish than Helen for many years.